Ways to Engage Through Social Media

Being successful on social media is not just about the amount of posts you have daily, but is about the quality of your content and your level of engagement with others. Social media is a way to have a voice for your company/brand, but it’s also important to listen to the voices of others and to interact with people along the way.

Social media consultant and marketing strategist Ann Tran describes the five rules of social media engagement—how to connect strategically with your audience.

Leave meaningful comments on posts: Read carefully through people’s content and photo captions. Leave comments when you can and be sure to check back later to see if anyone has responded. It’s important to keep the conversation going—this will help you to get you to know someone better through this interaction. You are unique—social media is a great way to share your ‘voice’ with the world.

Cross promote: If you read an article that really speaks to you, share it! Post through your social channels and comment on why you enjoyed it. This will help your followers to get to know you better, and it’s a great way to interact online with the author! Tag them when possible.

Choose favorites: Use the ‘favorite’ button on Twitter if you’re short on time and can’t respond to someone right away. This will help you to bookmark the important interactions and return to comment on them at a later time.

Get chatting: If you aren’t familiar with Twitter Chats, it’s time to learn about them. If you’re hosting a chat, it’s a great way to engage with your current or potential customers and to really focus on your audience. If you’re participating, it’s a great way to make new connections. Techniques to use include humor and the ability to response quickly, as conversations can move quickly. Find out more about Twitter Chats here.

Take online offline: Once you connect online through social media, take the conversation offline and meet up for coffee or a Tweetup. Keep building the relationship and get to know your online connections offline!

Do you participate in social media? How do you engage your audience through social platforms?